The fact that
Hephaestus was
lame is one of the more interesting points of
Greek mythology. The main reason why, according to some
theorists, is that he was the
craftsman of the gods. The word
metos, or "
craft", in itself has many meanings- on one hand it may refer to
skill; on the other, it may mean "
guile".
Ancient Greeks respected craftsmen, but did not trust them. There was
something inherently wrong with the idea of one man with that much,
for lack of a better word,
talent. Therefore, to break down that image of power, they made
Hephaestus, the skilled
god, a
cripple. While I'm sure
Freudians could (and would)
go to town on this, I'll leave that up to those of us with
a better grasp (
real or imagined) on
psychology.
(A sidenote on the
craft issue:
Odysseus is addressed in the
Iliad and the
Odyssey as
polymetos, or, literally, "many-crafted". Most
translators, however, give this as "many means". I bring this up only because
Odysseus, was, without a doubt, the the most brilliant (not to mention the most
shifty) of all the
Homeric Heroes. Make of it what you will.)
This has been
Andromache01's
Boring Academic Speculation for the day. If you would like
Yet Another Boring Academic Speculation, please send your request by email to: Andromache01@smartass.net.
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